Yellowman

06 Jul 2026

Future Yard CIC

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Jamaica’s first dancehall superstar, Yellowman ushered in a new era in reggae music following Bob Marley’s death. His early-’80s success brought the popularity of toasting — the reggae equivalent of rapping — to a whole new level, and helped establish dancehall as the wave of the future. For better or for worse, he also epitomized dancehall’s penchant for “slack” lyrics. Graphic sexuality was his particular forte, reaching levels of explicitness previously unheard in Jamaica. There was more to it than that, though; Yellowman was one of the most verbally nimble toasters of his time, with a loose, easy flow, a talent for improvisation, and a definite wit in his wordplay.